The Adventures of Little Ruby, a Lotus Story by Vicky Rowe

Let me say up front and honestly; this is not a story about Lotus in Perth. It is a story though and it does involve Lotus. Enough said perhaps, but I have another confession to make before you read any further. This little story is a little self-indulgence. You see, I had so much fun (in my Lotus) recently that I just want to re-live it again. So here goes…

By way of background, you may have heard me complaining about the lacklustre motorsport scene in Perth ever since the RAC track was closed. Pretty annoying as I’d only just gone back to the track after a break, but we must have had some foresight about 12 months ago when we bought little Ruby (S1 Elise) on the East Coast, in time for the Winton LOTD in 2015. Ruby has been sitting around gathering dust on the east coast since that event, so it was time to dust it off for the 2016 Winton LOTD.

The car was just as much fun as I remembered, with plenty of power from the Honda. We’d overcome some teething problems, such as the clutch, since 2015, but found a few more this time. To be fair, Ruby had it tough, with both Ed and I sharing the car over the two sprint sessions on a hot day. Despite this we really enjoyed the event, getting reacquainted with the car, and especially catching up with so many of our Lotus friends.

With a clear intent to better utilise Little Ruby, I booked myself into the MSCA sprints at Winton the following weekend, on my way to NZ for a walking trek. But in between was Targa High Country. How could I miss that? Last minute change of plans necessary! Problem was my hiking gear was still in Perth. So, I travelled home to Perth, picked up my gear, and then essentially headed back to Melbourne on the next available flight.

This allowed me some time to spend with family and to travel some of my favourite roads. Just me and my giant suitcase (carrying both race gear and hiking gear etc) strapped into the passenger seat. On Friday I drove from Ballarat through Daylesford and across the Macedon ranges, on to Euroa to meet up with Targa. I then followed the stage through Strathbogie ranges, on to Mansfield, then up Mount Buller.

There was a long delay on the mountain as they recovered a Commodore that had gone off the road, ending up a long way down the steep drop. Thankfully they were okay, but that must have been very scary. Up on the mountain everyone was in great spirits, looking forward to the upcoming stages.

A very icy (light snow) start the following day and I had trouble with traction going down the mountain. Everyone had to take it very slowly. Thankfully there was no mountain stage on the Saturday. But there was a stage in Mansfield which drew an enthusiastic crowd. This was the best opportunity to be a spectator and it was a great spectacle. You’re up close to the action and there’s a great atmosphere afterwards with the crowd mixing with the competitors and the cars on display.

With commitments now on the Sunday, I headed back towards Benalla. I competed at Winton with the MSCA and had another great day. Feeling a bit more confident with Little Ruby I improved my time by a whole two seconds compared to my best time at LOTD.

After a fantastic week of motoring, including two sprint events at Winton, joining in on the fun at Targa and driving some of the best roads Victoria has to offer, I jumped on a plane to NZ feeling exhausted but satisfied. I was ready for a different pace and trekking (or tramping as the NZ’ers call it) was perfect, with very few cars in sight the whole week.

Event Details

On Sunday the 2nd of December we will return to Lane Cove National Park for our legendary Christmas party. This time around we will be organising a fabulous food hamper for a picnic lunch.

The club will be subsidising our fabulous feast, making the cost just $24.00 per person. Children’s hampers suitable for kids up to the age of 11 are available and will also be subsidised by the club. To come to the party and ensure your hamper, you will need to do two things:

Email Elliott Nicholls with your name and the names of partners, guests, children and anyone else who would like to join us

We will be holding the 2018 Club Lotus Australia Annual General Meeting on the same day, Sunday the 2nd of December. This is your opportunity to recap the year in the club and have your say in its future direction.

The committee works hard to develop the club and ensure that it’s providing you many great opportunities to connect with fellow Lotus people and enjoy your cars. There are many opportunities for us to improve, and knowing exactly what you would like to see more, or less, of, will help steer us in the right direction. This is an opportunity for you to share your feedback and ideas and shape the Club’s future. We greatly appreciate your contributions, and hope that you will take a moment to be a part of the AGM.

These are always wonderful days, so don’t leave your booking too late! Read on for details on the treats you will find inside your Christmas hamper, and we look forward to celebrating 2018 with you on Sunday the 2nd of December in Lane Cove National Park.

Organizer

Event Details

CARnivale, and with it 2019, is coming up faster than should be possible, and on Australia Day, the 26th of January, 2019, will see us heading to Parramatta Park to [...]

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Event Details

CARnivale, and with it 2019, is coming up faster than should be possible, and on Australia Day, the 26th of January, 2019, will see us heading to Parramatta Park to bring in the new year with the iconic Sydney car show. Registration for the event is now open.

We plan to participate with a Club Lotus Australia display as usual. Registration this year will be handled individually, so of you would like to join us, register online at www.ausdayparramatta.com.au/carnivale.

With the massive CARnivale display and plenty to see and do such as a hot air display, barbecue festival and music, CARnivale is a relaxed way to kick off the new year’s motoring activities and catch up after the holiday break. More members in the display means more mates to spend the day with, so we’d love to see you there!

Read on for the official word from City of Parramatta Council and the Australia Day Council of New South Wales, and we’ll look forward to seeing you on Saturday the 26th of January, 2019!

Australia Day CARnivale 2019

City of Parramatta Council, in collaboration with the Australia Day Council of New South Wales, invites you to register for CARnivale in the Park, which will be held in Parramatta Park on Australia Day, Saturday, 26 January 2019.

CARnivale showcases a magnificent collection of classic vehicles including cars, motorbikes, fire engines, speedway cars and bikes. This will be the fourth year CARnivale has been held in Parramatta Park and the location has proved to be very popular.

Over 70,000 people visited the park on Australia Day in 2018 and the majority of the people came specifically to see CARnivale.

Organisers have made improvements to CARnivale each year based on information gathered from entrants and visitors.

For 2019 organisers are again improving the experience for CARnivale participants by providing more seating and shaded areas and bringing all the vehicles on to the grassed area alongside Old Government House.

In addition to CARnivale, other activities in the park will include a spectacular hot air balloon display from 6am, Australia’s largest Australia Day citizenship ceremony, the Parramatta Big BBQ festival and a family zone with a concert and kids’ rides.

The Australia Day celebrations end with a rock concert on the main stage followed by a fireworks spectacular.

Parramatta Park is close to the air-conditioned Westfield shopping centre and the Parramatta central business district, which offers many restaurants and cafes.

As well there will be free shuttle buses travelling from the park around the Parramatta district.

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Event Details

It's been a long wait since the magic Lotus 2017 in Victoria, but it's nearly time to [...]

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Event Details

It’s been a long wait since the magic Lotus 2017 in Victoria, but it’s nearly time to get the gang back together for our biennial celebration of all things Lotus. Lotus 2019 will be hosted by Lotus Club Queensland see the national Lotus community gather in the beautiful Sunshine Coast from April 25 to 28 for social events, car runs and motorsport.

The event will be based around the Mantra Mooloolaba, with activities held in the Sunshine Coast, including a concours d’elegance, magic Hinterlands fun run, and speed and happy lap events held at Lakeside Raceway.

Proceedings will open in relaxed Queensland style on Thursday the 25th of August, with drinks on the Mantra Terrace followed by a barbecue welcome dinner.

A track day will be held at Lakeside Raceway on Friday the 26th, with barbecue breakfast and lunch provided. If you’re not feeling so inclined, Friday will be a relaxed day with a lunchtime gathering. After the day’s activities everyone will gather at the Mooloolaba Surf Club for dinner.

Saturday sees the event kick into top gear, with the spectacular show ‘n shine and concours d’elegance held at the Mooloolaba State School Oval. There we’ll enjoy a picnic lunch by the lakeside at the Mooloolaba State School. From lunch we’ll set out on the fun run to explore three optional Hinterland routes, followed by drinks, canapés and dinner at the Mantra.

On Sunday, it will be time to prepare to go our separate ways. The option of a tour of the Bowden’s Museum in Buderim is being explored.

Time

Location

Organizer

Lotus 2019

Lotus 2019 will be hosted by Lotus Club Queensland see the national Lotus community gather in the beautiful Sunshine Coast from April 25 to 28 for social events, car runs and motorsport.

The event will be based around the Mantra Mooloolaba, with activities held in the Sunshine Coast, including a concours d’elegance, magic Hinterlands fun run, and speed and happy lap events held at Lakeside Raceway.